To ask if you used to be 'fat' and are now thin, are you happier now?

[Lsquiggles]

I'm overweight and a size 18. Like many others I'd love to be thin or slim but when I think about it logically, I think it's because society has conditioned me to think thin = happy.

Am I unhappy because I'm fat or because society tells me I can't/shouldn't be fat and happy?

So if you used to be big and are now at a weight/size you are comfortable with, are you happier now? And if yes, why do you think you're happier?

I'm by no means thin, but I've lost a stone in the last fortnight and today I reached my pre-lockdown weight. I'm much happier and all my old clothes fit.

Much happier.

I used to be very thin & now I'm fat & very unhappy about it. But I have long term health issues & a very stressful home life so I've taken to comfort eating sweets 🤦🏼‍♀️

I've always been overweight since pre-teen years. Biggest I was 16 stone and smallest 11st 5 in 2019. I was a size 12 and although I wasn't thin I felt pretty happy with myself. Covid/lockdown really affected my MH and I've gained a couple stone again and I'm miserable. I have identified that I have a lot of issues around food and easily slip in to binge eating episodes. It's a vicious cycle for me. I can't imagine not thinking about my weight 24/7, it consumes me every day.

This thread has been a good read. I am hoping it will inspire me to make some changes to become happy again.

I used to be fatter, now I’m fat but not as fat as I was, and I definitely feel better.

It has nothing to do with any societal issues as I don’t give a shit about any of that stuff, but having lost just one stone, I have noticed that I breathe easier, I sleep better and I can walk further and faster without having to stop for a rest. I’m still working on losing weight but so far it has been a good experience. The sense of achievement has been pretty good too.

I'm 5"7 and used to weigh 15 stone so was classed as obese. I lost most of the weight over the last year and a half. I'm now 9st 11 and I'm still not happy with my weight. Ideally, I would like to get to around 8st and I think for me, I look in the mirror and I still see the fat person I was before.

8st at 5ft 7 is underweight. Your current weight you are slap bang in the healthy weight range. You need to see someone if you think being 8 stone is a good idea.

I'm really short and was always around 8 stone . For a period of about 2 years I was 9.5 stone.
And while I wasn't technically overweight (a couple pounds more and I would have been) it felt extremely uncomfortable. That's the only way I could describe it.

The extra 20 lbs on me really made everything that bit harder.

I've lost it now and feel so much better ,so much more energy

I’ve lost exactly half my body weight in the last 13 months.
Last Sept - 18 stone 4, BMI 40.
Now - 9 stone 2, BMI 20.3.

Dunno if I’m happier as my day to day life hasn’t really changed. I like having a choice of clothes in all shops, rather than being relieved when I finally find something that actually fits in the 6th shop I go into.

I found that I needed to lose a lot of weight before I could even think about exercise (exertion actually made me feel ill the next day). I think people should be made more aware of that, rather than thinking they need to go for a run on day 2 of the diet when they’re still at BMI 40.

It’s increased mental work, as I have to try and maintain this weight. So it’s a bit trying sometimes, to constantly think about everything I’m eating and log it all on mfp to try and find my happy medium longer term.

Also can get a bit irritating that people relate your weight loss back to themselves all the time. I’ve heard so many variations of “eew yuck I couldn’t do that, can’t be healthy for you, that shake looks grim, you need to . Ugh, you just do you and I’ll do me, ok?

Sorry rant over!

Haven't read the whole thread, but I had anorexia and the bulimia for years. I'm now a size 12 and although not the size I would wish to be I am one million times happier than I ever was

Yes sadly being thin makes me immensely happier! I wish it wasn't the case as it seems so shallow that I was never happy with extra weight but it is what it is. Looking good makes me feel good, clothes fitting properly and not digging into me/not having to "hide" a wobbly stomach under unflattering clothes etc. I felt physically uncomfortable every day when I was overweight, bending over to tie my shoes was harder, my thighs chafing when I walked all these little things wore me down physically and mentally. When I'm thin my confidence soars and I feel "lighter" in every sense of the word.

I was thin (too thin) size 6 and now I’m “fat” size 16 and I’m about 1000 times happier now. I probably should loose some weight for health benefits but it won’t make me happier.

In the last year I have gone from a tight size 16 to a comfortable 8-10. I feel great about how I look in clothes, but my aversion to exercise has left me with flab that I hate seeing when I take my clothes off. Not that anyone is lucky enough to see me naked. Except the cat, poor thing.
However, I have mental health issues (depression/anxiety) and honestly believed that eating better and quitting smoking would turn it all around. It didn't.
I do have more confidence though and I love walking past a mirror now 😂

I was a size 16 from late teens through to about 30, then I lost the weight down to a size 8-10. I was so much happier and confident, and shopping for clothes was a dream.

I had my son 6 years ago and got back to pre-baby weight within a year, but then a series of traumatic events all within a couple of months caused my weight to balloon back to a size 16-18. I feel horrific and am desperately trying to lose weight at last. I still have a lot of pre-pregnancy clothes as inspiration, and refuse to buy myself anything new (shop in charity shops). I’m afraid I’m not one of those people who claim to be ‘fat and happy.’

I used to be 12.5 stone and am now 9.5 stone and a size 10 (5'8"). I'm SO much happier now. I have no problems buying clothes that Iook good, plus I've become a pretty good runner so I'm much fitter and healthier than I used to be. I've made loads of friends through running and a have much improved social life. I'm a far more positive and happy person these days.

I lost weight before I got married, from a size 14 to a size 10. It was bloody brilliant. I felt much healthier, didn't have to worry about covering my chubby arms in summer, and it was much easier to find clothes that suited me.

I've subsequently had two children and am now back to being a fat shit but it was lovely while it lasted

@TyotyaKlava

I’ve always been slim since I was a child, till childbirth at 33 yo I was size 6 and weighed 48-49 kg. Things slowly changed after I had my first child and by the time I was 37 and after my second child I weighed 64 kilograms and I was size 10. I was extremely unhappy but I was not watching my eating and lived very sedentary lifestyle. Then decided to get more control and hired online trainer and meal plan. Now, three years later I weigh 48 kg, size 6 and so happy with my weigtht. I might be a bit to skinny but I’d rather be skinny then what I was.

It sounds like you've always been slim or skinny then so were never fat- 10 stone isn't fat.

I have been "big" since I was 18, and hit 18.5 stone (dress size 24) after the birth of my last child. Being slim / losing weight / hating being overweight dominated my thoughts. Everything I did was coloured by my obesity, I thought about my weight at least 50 times a day.

I joined the gym and started calorie counting. I started to see results quite quickly, which I found highly motivating. I felt happier and was proud of what I was achieving and despite my focus on exercise and what I was eating, I spent far less time thinking about my weight than I had previously.

Unfortunately, after around 6 months (and nearly 3 stone down), I became very ill. Due to my illness, the weight fell off me, eventually I was hospitalised weighing 5 stone 9lbs. I was seriously ill, suffering from malnutrition and picked up every bug going. I was thin - far thinner than I had ever imagined or wanted to be - but there was no joy in buying size 6 clothes. My skin hung off me, like I was a clothes hanger with a sheet draped over it. My cheekbones were super sharp, my eyes were sunken into the sockets and you could clearly see my skull - I really did look just like a skeleton.

Thanks to the wonderful NHS, I was eventually able to eat and to digest food again, so started to be able to put some weight back on. My stomach had shrunk, so it took far less food for me to feel full and I had a whole new attitude towards food and my body.

I have been very overweight and I have been very underweight. When I was big, I thought about being thin ALL the time. When I was tiny, I hoped I wouldn't die, ALL the time. I've now been between 10.5 and 11 stone (size 14/16) for the last couple of years. I've got boobs, a big bum and a bit of a tummy, but I rarely think about my weight these days. I think about making sure I'm eating healthily enough for my wellbeing and being a good example of a positive body image for my DC.

In answer to the OP, I'm happier somewhere in the middle and I should have spent less time thinking about my weight - I've learned to be careful what you wish for!

So much happier!

10 stone isn't fat If I were to get up to 10 stone I would be classed as overweight.

I went from a BMI of 24 to 21. I thought it wouldn’t make any difference but for the year I was at BMI 21 (until lockdown) I felt unselfconscious, like I had a right to exist in the world and I didn’t feel bad for inflicting the sight of myself on other people like I usually would. I was more active and went outside more, and bought new clothes rather than making do.

Yes… absolutely. I was morbidly obese from when I had my kids until my late 40’s. Something simply had to give. I lost 60kgs. I feel better psychologically and I’m in much less pain. I also look a million years younger. My 30’s and mid-40’s were spent feeling ashamed of how I looked and every single thing I put in my mouth. I can honestly say I feel stronger because I have battled a huge demon and won - am also taken more seriously too. Two photos, aged about 35/36 (and not my biggest) and again at 48.

I just want to say a huge well done to everyone on this thread who's lost significant amounts of weight! It's not easy to change your life and often there is very little support from people who, being naturally slim, don't really get the complicated mix of emotional and physical factors that make weight loss and change so hard.

So, congratulations to all of you (us)! I've been finding the thread really motivating, as I still have a few stone I'd like to lose, and reading everyone's positive insights is so uplifting.

I've been skiing, thin, average, fat and very fat at various stages. I'm now a 16 and very fit / strong.

I'm also older, couldn't give a fuck what other people think about me and am happier and just more accepting of my size / shape.

I used to be fat…. Then I was thin…. And now I’m fat again.
I’m sure that was a documentary at some point!
In complete honesty I am happier fatter.

Much happier, yes. I feel as though I freed myself from a prison of too much flesh.